View 2 ImagesArne Slot is struggling to get a tune out of his underperforming Liverpool squad this season (Image: Justin Setterfield – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Former Swansea City and Wales centre-back Ashley Williams has questioned whether Arne Slot can turn around Liverpool‘s poor form. The reigning Premier League champions suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, continuing their dismal slump this season.
The Reds have now suffered six defeats in their last seven matches across all competitions. Slot’s team were handed a 3-0 defeat by Manchester City before the November international break.
The same scoreline was repeated this weekend against relegation battlers Forest, leaving them languishing in the lower half of the table. Liverpool currently sit 11th in the top-flight table and could find themselves trailing leaders Arsenal by 11 points if the Gunners beat Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon (4:30pm kick-off).
And Williams has told BBC Sport’s Final Score that he now has concerns over Slot’s future at Anfield.
He said: “Today’s the first time I’ve thought ‘I’m not sure Arne Slot can resolve this situation at Liverpool’.
“Then you start looking at whether they make a change, which seems crazy at the start of the season. They brought [in] good players.
“I thought ‘well they’ve brought three or four of the best players around Europe, they’re going to go and steamroll the league again’. They absolutely haven’t.”
View 2 ImagesArne Slot reacts during his Liverpool side’s 3-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest(Image: Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown also had his say on the situation. “Whether it’s a crisis, I don’t know,” he said.
“It’s certainly a major problem for the manager to go six defeats from seven. Unthinkable. The wheels are coming off now for Arne Slot.
“It was Jurgen Klopp’s team and he has tried to come in and make changes, but he has spent £450m on players and they are going backwards.”
Slot assumed responsibility for a “very, very bad result” for Liverpool on Saturday – but remains convinced he can arrest the alarming slide from his team.
He said: “How bad that is difficult to measure but it was very bad. Playing at home, losing 3-0 no matter which team you face is a very, very bad result.
“Unexpected if you look at the first half-hour of the game. In my opinion a good start from us. I haven’t seen us creating so much in the opening half-hour maybe the whole season, we were able to create a lot and the first time they arrived in our box they scored a goal.
“It is a very difficult cocktail to drink if you miss out on your own chances and every time you concede one the ball goes in.”